


Knowing The Feeling

by emeriin



Category: That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: Gen, References to child abuse.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-03 18:06:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10972590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeriin/pseuds/emeriin
Summary: The abuse family kids are going through the same thing as Critic is, so I figure he would understand them. And Wild Wild West/Balto proved me right.





	Knowing The Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> The abuse family kids are going through the same thing as Critic is, so I figure he would understand them. And Wild Wild West/Balto proved me right.

 

 

 

Critic needed better security. Not just for the studio, but for his review room.

Because he was finally doing Rocky Horror Picture Show and had only just started doing the "in front of the wall" parts, when Aunt Despair had staggered her way in and turned off the camera.

"My husband and me," she slurred, not giving him a chance to complain. "Are going out. Two for one pizza."

"I'm very happy for you," he sneered. "Why are you telling me this?"

She smiled in that smug way of hers when she was succeeding making his life miserable, and grabbed his wrist, dragging him out to see three waiting children. "You gotta babysit."

"No!" he shouted, vaguely acknowledging the girl in the baggy shirt twitching, but sure that she'd heard worse. "You hang around in my studio, you can't demand anything of me."

Aunt Despair wasn't listening, already grabbing her coat amidst lighting another cigarette. "Yeah cheers, make sure they're in bed by 11, see ya."

With a growl of frustration, he turned round to the kids. The boy was lifting up the skirt of a Barbie that had seen better days, the baggy shirt girl was fidgeting nervously, and another girl with a big bow on her head was clinging to a teddy bear.

"Alright," he sighed. "Names, first of all."

Baggy shirt spoke, her sister still looking terrified. "I'm… Alexandra", she started, with a twinge of sadness that he might be imagining, "my brother is Francis, and that's Lily."

Lily had started rocking slightly. "What's wrong with her?"

Francis laughed, not nicely. "She's still being a crybaby over Mom and Dad punishing her with 80s movies."

Alexandra came to her sister's defense before Critic could. "She's four years old! She doesn't need to watch Return To Oz because they can't deal with a baby having a tantrum."

Francis slapped her with his Barbie and they descended into a kicking match. Feeling overwhelmed already, Critic knelt by Lily. "Hey," he said as gently as possible. "If it helps I know the feeling? I used to hide in a cupboard whenever I was scared." He neglected to mention that happened a lot.

She was still holding onto to her bear for dear life, reminding him of times even now where he'd cling to his giant stuffed monkey, but she raised her head a little. "I liked that one with the mouse mother until it got scary."

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to extoll the virtues of Secret Of NIMH to a child traumatized by it, but the others had tired out and saved him for not knowing what to say.

"So!" he said to both of them, trying to be perky. "Now that's over, what do you wanna do?"

"Watch Game Of Thrones!" the boy yelled. "The one where that hooker gets killed with arrows!"

His sisters looked disturbed, and again Critic felt like he wasn't cut out for this. "Um, maybe not. Any other ideas?"

Lily shyly tugged at his jacket. "Can I have soup? Daddy would at least do that for me."

He knew full well the feeling of loving your parents because they did one semi-decent thing, so he patted her head. "Sure honey, in a minute."

Alexandra seemed to try and be the mediator of the bunch. "Can we watch Transformers cartoon? He likes it, I like it, it's okay for Lily, and you can just hang around and do whatever."

He sighed in relief, though slightly better that a seven year old knew how to handle things better than him. "Yeah sure."

But a few minutes later, when he was heating up soup for Lily, Alexandra appeared nervously in the door. "Um, can I talk to you about something?"

"Francis hasn't done something else disturbing I hope?"

She laughed slightly. "No not about him."

"Then what's up?"

"What's it like being a guy?"

If someone his own age had asked him that, a penis joke would have flown instantly from his mouth. "Uh I'm not the best to answer that, I have tough days and good days."

She looked stricken. "Oh. It's just… I don't think I'm a girl."

Lily would have to have re-heated soup. "I see." Trying to be the neutral adult was hard, especially with his history. "Do you think you're a boy?"

"I… I might be in between. Is that a thing?"

A voice was telling him that he needed to dissuade her, tell her she was too young. But he had a feeling she'd know that was crap. "Totally a thing. I'm guessing you don't want your parents to know?"

Their face lit up with relief, and they let out a deep breath like a weight had been lifted. "Yes! Please don't tell them! And could you call me Alex?"

He felt better too, feeling vindicated that he'd performed a good deed. "Sure!"

 

 

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